Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Palin Pipeline Problem

We've been running a lot of items on Alaskan governor Sarah Palin here at the Times. Max has given a pretty good run down of her lies out on the stump. This story came out before the blog, but I think it's important to reiterate the point. Palin's record is a lot thinner than her talking points indicate. Take the gas pipeline. Palin says that Alaska, under her tenure, "began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence." That sounds great, but once again, that pesky reality thing gets in the way. The International Herald Tribune reports:

The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Palin's relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs.

Gas pipelines going in across this state are creating problems with property owners. If you've experienced any trouble due to pipeline construction, drop me a line at gerard@arktimes.com.